IMMIGRATION ISSUES FACING MUSLIMS IN THE WEST
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Immigration Issues Facing Muslims in the West
Social research has identified that recent decades’ immigration has led to multicultural communities across the globe, and this seems to have triggered significant social group challenges. Some of the main problems are associated with intolerance in religious and cultural diversity. As a result, there has been a tendency for individuals from different cultures to face diverse challenges at foreign lands. Muslims are such a group, and they face various social problems in foreign countries, especially in the West. Among the many challenges that they face, the most significant and resultant one is immigration. Muslims in the West have been recently facing immigration issues that include the presence of discriminatory tendencies after President Trump’s inappropriately address review on Visa Status U.K. and U.S., family separation, deportation, and incarceration of individuals in linkage to terrorism allegations. This report discusses each of these and the potential ways in which the issues are resolved.
A key source of challenges in Muslim immigration is mainly politically changed views that have been witnessed in the U.S. after Donald Trump made questionable remarks during his entry into power. In 2016, Donald Trump was quoted as refuting his predecessors’ perception regarding America’s interaction with the Middle East in the fight against Terrorism (Connor, 2016). As a result he was termed as focused on enhancing the conservative liberalism at the cost of changed regard to Muslim. His address stated that he would ban immigration from countries considered as harboring terrorists. He was alleging that Middle East states were some of the critical targets in his speech, and hence there arose a loophole to revive nativist themes in dealing with Muslims. His political ideologies changed what was initially considered as a breakthrough in dealing with a multicultural society. His doctrines were seen as focused on strengthening Nationalist ideologies that would see strict immigration policies implemented. Thus, the political changes witnessed during U.S. President Donald Trump association of Terror to Islamic nations are viewed as the start of immigration challenges for Muslim communities in America and other related states. Immigration scrutiny has been a common practice across the globe but of recent, terrorism and crime rates have led to the rise in the use of approaches deemed to be discriminating individuals with Islamic background. In the United States, there is a loony-cultural norm that has witnessed in political regard to the Islamic community (Connor, 2016). Lately, the effects of the terrorist attacks on Pentagon and World Trade Center in September 11th 2001, have been trickling down to the evaluation of existing immigrants (Connor, 2016).
Moreover, such has been viewed to be a resuscitation of unwelcome immigration restrictions that pre-existed. One thing that has significantly been observed in the U.S. is the continued focus on the religious background when evaluating individuals for the renewal of visas and registration of individuals. Some states have been accommodative but on general consideration, the political regard to individuals with Islamic background has been termed as wanting in handling their immigration queries. The U.S. scenario can comparatively be criticized for U.K.’s situation.
In the U.K., over 25 million have reported living within the above 28 member states. These are all in the region following engagement on formal employment immigration (Connor, 2016). However, most have been reported to have engaged in challenging, dirty and dangerous meetings in the region. Some of the first immigrants were from nations such as Pakistan, Morocco and Turkey. The fate of most of these Muslims has been threatened by the rising fabrication of Islamist fanatics who have used radicalization and perpetuated attacks spoiling the social fabric of Islam in the European region. Most of the criminals who have been associated with terrorist attacks in most of the states, have led to the rise in anti-Muslim sentiments (Connor, 2016). Thus, over 28 million Muslims in the European region are subjected to opposing views owing to the perpetration of threatening attacks by the surge in radicalized criminals creating tension against the Islamic community in the area. It perhaps may be the reason behind Scrutiny of Islamic immigrants. Comparatively, the essence of immigration scrutiny in the United States especially for immigrants from Islamic countries has led to the separation of families. This has been so owing to the allowance to host some individuals that possess the needed documentation including work and residency permits. However, sometimes individuals who have stayed in the European States or the U.S. face revoked challenges or students that have been studying in the institutions within the nations forced to go back to their countries after failure to secure working visas from the Authorities. In a research conducted in the U.K. regarding the perception and regard for Islamic religion by the general public, it was being known that radicalization had placed Muslim’s faith in jeopardy and most of the native respondents indicated widespread fear of existing and immigrants from Islamic background (Duderija & Rane, 2018). Therefore, the reaction by some natives to the application of renewals, work visas, and the worry from natives portrays some challenges facing Immigrant Muslims in European countries, and the U.S. Most have ended up as subjected to deportation.
Deportation of individuals often made on the grounds of vindications of crime or failure to fulfill regulations desired to help retain residency. Still, in some cases, some individuals with Islamic background have been allegedly betiding expelled illegally. Although the immigrants have been establishing intercultural marriages, in America, there has been more in efforts to mend the bleak enclaves threatening the Muslims in the region (Geaves, 2015). There have been policies to safeguard such unions, and the law allows married individuals to retain their residency within the states. However, during some county residencies evaluation, specific individuals have had to lose their permanence residency in the region. The authorities evaluate these, and when determined that individuals may lack the appropriate documentation, and their deportation hurriedly initiated. Some deportations of some Muslim immigrants end up expelled from the West without sufficient evidencing of their lack of legal requirements.
Nevertheless, some unaccommodating social perceptions have greatly influenced the handling of immigration for Islamic immigrants. The migration of Muslims has faced a generalized opinion from the West, which has led to prolonged failure to fully assimilate and integrate the immigration of individuals from Islamic zones. The migration of individuals to seek asylum has significantly been interrupted by the presence of stereotyped perception and seclusion from social integration with Muslims. A good case of such has been witnessed in the Turkish border recently, where the authorities have barred asylum seekers from entering Europe in search of peace (Hellwig & Kweon, 2016). Such a failed focus on the humanitarian aspect, with some founded on the underlying Islamic background factor, is considered as a significant gap in the immigration policies gap. This gap has trickled down to the natives, who tend to display discriminative tendencies against Muslim individuals overtly. Ultimately, the difference has either been rooted in the perceptions of the people or ignored by biased individuals handling immigration structures.
In critically evaluating the various immigration issues highlighted, it is apparent that there are both social and policy gaps that need addressing in dealing with the prevailing situation regarding Muslims and immigration to the Western States. The critical consideration is that the immigration policies maybe not be implemented as they are, and this may be forcing most of the individuals to disregard the systems and hence be unable to provide the appropriate social support to the community. Western societies have had sound immigration policies, but the implementation perspectives seem to have the gap. Such a hole may be attributed to the lack of will to address the mechanism exhibited during the implementation of ethics in immigration policies. Thus, a notable gap has existed, and there has been persistent failure to address the difference by the authorities. It is such gaps that have attracted lobby groups to seek redress to the course—the presence of international bodies that lobby against discriminatory immigration policies based on internationally acceptable standards. According to the International Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the General Recommendations no.30 on Discrimination against non-citizens in 2004 by the United Nations, all individuals are guaranteed safety. The agreement ensures that there is the presence of human rights systems in nations to safeguard immigrants against the abuse of their rights. Activism by social groups also witnessed in various conventions and advocacies. These advocacies focus on the strengthening of the legal focus on the authorities to ensure that despite having migration into the different regions (Shakeel, 2018). The bodies have been focusing on resurgence of prior rights violations as witnessed in inter-American, European, and African communities. For instance, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held that the principle of equality and non-discrimination need recognition as a status of just cogens, which means it must be applied as an international law regardless of international treaties (Hellwig, & Kweon, 2016). Activists are rising by day to check on related omissions.
The role of Activism is seen as a potential option in dealing with the existing challenges of perception or discrimination against immigrants, especially on religious grounds. The involvement of American Muslims has developed through established groups such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals (Rauf, 2011). These bodies have made efforts to help the integration of Muslims in the economic agenda in America and the tolerance with other communities. The authorities have been on the forefront to demystify and condemn terrorism through Fatwa (religious ruling), as made by the Fiqh Council of North America (Connor, 2016). Such bodies are using the platform to elucidate and denounce the association of extremist behaviors with terrorism and Islam. Thus, the role of activist groups has been to protect the rights of the immigrants and other Muslims against the association with illegal acts. However, a question must be evaluated against the principles of the constitution. Under the tenets engraved in the United States Constitution and Federal Laws, religious freedom is considered as fundamental liberty and also viewed as a central principle founding the nation. History has had the provision of tolerance and fairness when dealing with individuals seeking residency in America (Duderija & Rane, 2018). Such people expected evaluation based on having principled and subjective focus. Thus any candidate irrespective of their religious background is constitutionally entitled to access to immigration services and help without having their social or religious history used as a deterrent. The principles of constitutionalism have guided Muslims in America, and the laws have safeguarded the presence of a legal framework that does not bear any inconsistencies in dealing with Islamic immigrants.
In conclusion, Muslims have faced immigration challenges that re-emerged or have been rekindled by President Donald Trump’s comments in 2016, whereby nativist ideology in dealing with Islamic Nations changed what the pre-existed leaders wanted. The immigration led to the rise of the same ideologies and perceptions in society. Such tendencies have seen most of the immigration handlings hence affecting the relations with Muslim immigrants. Comparatively, the same scenario has been existing in the European region where the treatment of asylum seekers that have been trying to enter Europe through the Turkish border. These have faced harsh handling from nations, and there has been no real consideration, though the same has linked to being based on their Islamic background.
On the other hand, there have been notable advocacy from activists and various bodies across the globe. In America, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals have been at the forefront of advocating for the upholding of anti-discriminatory measures. Moreover, they have been promoting intercultural integration within the society in an aim to prevent the various issues witnessed as facing Muslims in the USA. Most of the communities are getting sensitized about eliminating any discriminatory practices in the cities. This write up has discussed these in the view of the effects witnessed in the community. However, future handling relies much on the kind of leadership adopted in the West more than immigration policies thereof.
References
Connor, P. (2016). Immigration offenses and people exploitation. Blackstone’s Police Manual Volume 1: Crime 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/law/9780198783053.003.0018
Duderija, A., & Rane, H. (2018). Immigration and western Muslims’ identity. Islam and Muslims in the West, 53-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92510-3_4
Geaves, R. (2015). Review of the contemporary literature on Islam and Muslims in the U.K. through the lens of immigration issues, Civic participation, and international constraints. Fieldwork in Religion, 10(1), 10-42. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v10i1.28330
Hellwig, T., & Kweon, Y. (2016). Taking cues on multidimensional issues: The case of attitudes toward immigration. West European Politics, 39(4), 710-730. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2015.1136491
Rauf, I. F. (2011). Evolving from Muslims in America to American Muslims: A shared trajectory with the American Jewish community. Muslims and Jews in America, 57-70. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230119048_6
Shakeel, M. (2018). Islamic schooling in the cultural West: A systematic review of the issues concerning school choice. Religions, 9(12), 392. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9120392